Why was Roman Concrete Forgotten during the Middle Ages?

[editor]

This is an enjoyable 8 mins

 

[pogofish]

I thought it continued in use but poorer quality and under a different name?

Only reverting to being called concrete when the early Renaissance sparked an interest in translating the Roman texts that taught them how do do it like the Romans again.

Also, Concrete isn't Roman - IIRC they knicked it from the Nabateans/Syrians.

 

[yield]

Why 536 was ‘the worst year to be alive'
15 Nov 2018

A mysterious fog plunged Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia into darkness, day and night—for 18 months. "For the sun gave forth its light without brightness, like the moon, during the whole year," wrote Byzantine historian Procopius. Temperatures in the summer of 536 fell 1.5°C to 2.5°C, initiating the coldest decade in the past 2300 years. Snow fell that summer in China; crops failed; people starved.

The Irish chronicles record "a failure of bread from the years 536–539." Then, in 541, bubonic plague struck the Roman port of Pelusium, in Egypt. What came to be called the Plague of Justinian spread rapidly, wiping out one-third to one-half of the population of the eastern Roman Empire and hastening its collapse, McCormick says.

The Eastern Roman Empire lasted until 1453.

 

[JimW]

IIRC they had some glass-making techniques we still can't replicate today too.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Why 536 was ‘the worst year to be alive'
15 Nov 2018



The Eastern Roman Empire lasted until 1453.

While it survived the plague coupled with its war of mutual exhaustion with Persia saw it ripe and ready to lose vast chunks of its empire to the new armies of Islam coming out of Arabia.


As for concrete I was unde the impression much of the reason it didn't get used was materials, the best stuff used volcanic rock in the mix that just wasn't available in many places.

 

[yield]

While it survived the plague coupled with its war of mutual exhaustion with Persia saw it ripe and ready to lose vast chunks of its empire to the new armies of Islam coming out of Arabia.

Persia lost much more. Arabia lost much less, which lead to their strong position

 

[petee]

i subscribe to that youtuber.
good videos, though the chicago accent and the occasional speed-talking get in the way.

 

[scifisam]

i subscribe to that youtuber.
good videos, though the chicago accent and the occasional speed-talking get in the way.

It's not the accent, it's the really really weird robotic intonation. I say something six words long and then I pause for effect because because also requires a pause didn't you know that, you fool nobody can listen to more than six words at a time.

It's not speed talking, it's actually normal speed but with weird gaps. If it's a human they're doing an excellent impersonation of a robot.

 

[stdP]

I haven't watched the video, but one of the key components of Roman concrete, a form of volcanic ash known as pozzolana, wasn't widely known about in europe because it only exists in relatively few recently active volcanic regions. It's essentially a very porous form of glass and other elements which makes it very strong when combined with lime cement.

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

Rome had an integrated system that allowed for deep specialisation.
Industries got to do just one thing for generations. Infrastructure took materials around the empire.

No empire no infrastructure no specialisation.

As a gross oversimplification